Matusadona National Park

Matusadona National Park Safari

Bordering Lake Kariba, it is no surprise to learn that Matusadona National Park is famously packed with animals. A mixture of grassy floodplains and rugged hill country, Matusadona offers sanctuary for some of Zimbabwe’s biggest elephant and buffalo herds, many of which use the park as a vital staging post on cross-country migrations.

It is also home to arguably the greatest concentrations of lions outside Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater as well as healthy numbers of leopards and spotted hyenas. Cheetahs and wild dogs are regularly seen, and lucky visitors may even get the chance to tick off both black and white rhino.

A Matusadona safari revolves around the rhythm of the lake. Early morning game drives patrol the lakeshore for big cats on the prowl while your afternoon could be taken up by a leisurely boat cruise on the lake, watching hippos and crocodiles sun themselves as nervous antelope make their way down to drink. Great for bird watching, it is also a destination where the more adventurous can stretch their legs and enjoy a walking safari in the company of expert guides and armed rangers.

The best time to go to Matusadona National Park is during the May to October dry season. As the rest of the park dries up, animals arrive at the lakeshore in increasing numbers and diversity. Visitors enjoy mild sunny days and cold nights from May to August but hot and sometimes humid temperatures in September and October. Once the rains have arrived in earnest by around December, Matusadona is largely inaccessible and much of the wildlife retreats into the park’s remote back country.